Katharine Merry
shattered both herself and the 400m British indoor record in
front of a hugely appreciative home crowd yesterday as she ran
the ninth fastest time ever.

Last weekend Merry ran
the distance indoors for the first time and pipped the old mark
by coming home in 51.54 – a 0.15s improvement.

But that was obliterated
in a stunning display by Merry as she was roared to the line by
the 8,000 crowd in 50.53.

The result was the
second fastest time in the world this year, and the ninth best
ever.

Merry, who comes from
Dunchurch, near Rugby, was clearly exhausted by her efforts and
said the fantastic result would not make her change her mind
about competing in the world championships in Portugal in March.

She said:

“Even if I had run
48.5 I still wouldn’t have gone to Lisbon. I don’t need
the pressure of running rounds in March.”

Merry added that she
would run in the 2003 world indoors as they were being held in
Birmingham.

Fellow Birchfield
Harrier Daniel Caines also set the crowd alight by recording the
world’s fastest time this year in the 400m, and Romanian
runner Gabrielle Szabo earned $50,000 and a huge ovation by
breaking a 12-year-old world record in the women’s 3000m.